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Ben Wallace is reportedly weighing whether to resign as secretary of defense for four years, and the move could see him step down from his seat in Congress at the next election.
Times Wallace, a close aide to Boris Johnson who played a key role in shaping Britain’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is weighing whether to leave politics permanently.
He continues to support the Rishi Suakh government and any move is personal and not related to a challenge to the party, the sources said.
It’s understood he hasn’t made a final decision yet, but a source said: sky news He will likely make a decision next month, in which case he will step down from his parliamentary seat at the next election in 2024.
Wallace, who has been a member of the Wire and Preston North parties since 2010, won a 31-point majority over Labor in the last election, raising concerns that Wallace will be able to retain his seat. It suggests that he is not one of the leading figures in the Conservative Party.
Wallace, once seen as the frontrunner to replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative Party, twice turned down calls from colleagues to run for leadership last year and was ousted by Liz Truss. and chose to remain in the cabinet under Rishi Sunak.
He recently emerged as Downing Street’s leading candidate to take over the post of NATO secretary-general, but the announcement came after current Secretary Jens Stoltenberg was given another year in office. According to some reports, US President Joe Biden personally vetoed Wallace’s bid despite Rishi Sunak’s lobbying.
Wallace later said: economist He downplayed prospects for future organization operations, saying the military alliance had “many unresolved issues” and “it will not happen.”
His time as defense secretary was occupied by the Ukraine war and rising tensions with Russia and China. Wallace sparked controversy earlier this month by suggesting that Ukraine should show “thank you” for the military support it receives.
Wallace made the remarks after his country’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused him of being “absurd” to claim that NATO still has conditions for membership after the war with Russia is over. gone.
Zelensky later said: “We should have always thanked Britain. I don’t know what he meant or how else to thank him.”
Wallace remains popular within the Conservative Party, having served as secretary of defense under Theresa May before being promoted to secretary of defense by Johnson, and has continued in that role under his two successors. It is the longest continuous term he has served as a minister.
He previously served as Whip and Deputy Minister in the Northern Ireland Office under David Cameron.
Speculation about this future has been mounting within the Cabinet in recent weeks.
Times Treasury Secretary John Glenn said he could be the frontrunner for the job.
Additional coverage by the Press Association